As intrinsic to the Manhattan soul as the rumble of the subway, the grime of the Lower East Side or the ornate baroque glamour of the midtown blocks housing Ghostbusters’ ghouls, Adam Green’s music is as timeless as New York itself. Echoing through the depths of its dark lore, yet still relevant on sidewalks washed clean by gentrification, the singer-songwriter’s music not only invokes his hometown, but it captures the unique confusion and connection of life within a city: the awkwardness and the adventure, the love affairs and the loneliness, the society and the separation.
His 2005 solo album Gemstones, a sort of musical reply to Bright Lights, Big City, is firmly rooted in the Big Apple, its rockabilly rhythms rattle with the L-Train, its melodies hit like a fresh cross street gust, but whether you’ve visited New York or not its brisk, affecting songs will resonate with anyone who knows what it is like to be alone amongst the crowd.
Driven by Green’s beguiling baritone, from the album’s spinning, Wurlitzer-driven opener and title track Gemstones, via the chiming organs and voodoo maraca of Over The Sunrise, the irresistible rock’n’roll bop of Emily and the bittersweet lament of Losing On A Tuesday, the record is as affecting as it is surreal. Fantastical imagery and linguistic twists that evoke an Escher-meets-Sesame Street version of city life, but beneath Green’s visions, guided by his playful melodies, is a warm beating heart of genuinely moving emotions.
Yes, Gemstones can be heady and intoxicating, careering with an apparent free abandonment, yet it is also a warm, reassuring and ultimately nourishing record. On its release, the album made Green a superstar in Germany as audiences resonated with this 21st-century ‘The Two Cent Opera’ of intricate tales and bright tunes. Now, as Gemstones marks its 20th anniversary with a new vinyl release, it is time for all of us to step back and truly appreciate this musical diamond.
